Getting a degree in America or stay in Canada if you plan to practice in Canada?

doctorlaw

I knew a lot of Canadians in law school and always wondered if there was a benefit to coming to America to get it. Isn't there MORE education required if you get a foreign degree and then try to get licensed in your home nation? I don't know a single American who wanted to practice in America and got a Canadian law degree first to do that with.

One of my law school classmates came from Canada and went back to practice there not sure the specifics of how she did it, but it was done. However, laws are Country Specific becoming an expert in American Constitutional Law, will not do much good in Canada as it has a different constitution. Tand purposes it is unwise to study law in a Country you do not plan on studying in. Therefore, I think for all intents it is wise to attend law school in the Country you want to practice in and if there are states as in the U.S. in the state you want to practice in.

One of the reasons that Canadians come to the U.S. to attend law school is that Canada only has about a dozen law schools, and they are all pretty competitive to get into. Someone with say, a 3.0/155 would probably not get into any Canadian law school, but they can get into a number of American schools.

After graduation they can return to the province in which they intend to practice, take additional classes in Canadian law, and qualify to article after about a year and a half. So yes, it is a longer route but it can work out. One of my best friends from law school went to law school in California and qualified for the British Columbia bar this way.

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doctorlaw

One of the reasons that Canadians come to the U.S. to attend law school is that Canada only has about a dozen law schools, and they are all pretty competitive to get into. Someone with say, a 3.0/155 would probably not get into any Canadian law school, but they can get into a number of American schools.

After graduation they can return to the province in which they intend to practice, take additional classes in Canadian law, and qualify to article after about a year and a half. So yes, it is a longer route but it can work out. One of my best friends from law school went to law school in California and qualified for the British Columbia bar this way.

You’ve asked an interesting question. Put simply, you are correct in pointing out that there are some additional accreditation requirements for foreign trained lawyers who wish to practice in Canada. However, these requirements are not overly burdensome, which is why many Canadians chose to complete their law degrees in other countries.

In order to become accredited, internationally trained lawyers must go through the National Committee on Accreditation’s (NCA) accreditation process. First, they must apply to the NCA to have their credentials and experience assessed. The NCA will then issue them an assessment that details what they must do to obtain a Certificate of Qualification. Typically, they must demonstrate competence in certain key areas by taking challenge exams or law school courses. Once they have completed those steps (It takes about 1 – 2 years to do so), they can apply for their NCA Certificate of Qualification, which in turn will allow them to move to the next step: applying to the Bar admission/ licensing process in the Canadian province or territory of their choice.